Thinking “outside the box” often leads to interesting, innovative ideas. Our team was recently together discussing how to use our floor coatings in “outside the box” scenarios. Turns out, we already have. And, we're always looking for new opportunities.
"Out of the Box" Examples by STRONGHOLD FLOORS
Between 2004 and 2014, we've successfully used our epoxy coatings in various situations that didn't involve a traditional concrete floor. Everyone seems surprised we can apply our coatings to more than just concrete. Check out some of those atypical projects below!
Elastomeric Epoxy Membranes for Wood Floors
We've applied our coatings to race car trailers. Most enclosed trailers begin with a sheet, wood floor. Because the wood flexes far more than a concrete floor, we first applied an elastomeric epoxy membrane to the wood. This coating may be applied more than once, to ensure the proper amount of build (MILS).
Once an adequate membrane is in place, the desired coating system can be added. This could be a plain, solid color epoxy coating, a decorative chip coating, decorative quartz coating, or even a metallic epoxy coating.
In the case of the race car trailer used by a Central Pennsylvania “Legends” race car team, they chose a decorative chip floor for their new car hauler.
This use of elastomeric epoxy membranes has also allowed us to coat rooms inside of homes, such as mudrooms, dog wash rooms, and laundry rooms. We can also coat sheds with wood deck floors. It’s even been used in the wood floors of several box trucks at our Maryland and Pennsylvania operations.
These same coatings can also be used for the storage areas in horse trailers and “toy hauler” trailers.
High Viscosity Epoxies for Vertical Walls
We have vertical grade epoxy formulated for priming and sealing walls. These walls can be drywall, poured walls, or concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls (also known as concrete block, cement block, or besser block).
Where would these epoxies be helpful? Animal care facilities like Stay Pet Resort, Nittany Greyhounds, and Bark of the Town, all feature our coatings to protect the block walls. Check out some of the problems STRONGHOLD FLOORS solved when installing Stay Pet Resort's coatings here.
Because the coatings fill the pores, prime, and seal the surface, the walls can hold up against daily exposure to animals and the associated cleaning. Even the best wall paints would not hold up as well and would require constant maintenance.
Odd Uses for Oddball items
Thinking outside the box has led to some very interesting uses for our epoxy systems. We've applied our epoxy coatings to cornhole boards (shown above), statues, and items of furniture. Our Mechanicsburg, PA facility has decorative chip coatings on the bathroom mirror’s wood frame and around the light switch. One of our coatings installers has also applied different epoxies to countertops used at his home.
At Stay Pet Resort, our decorative quartz coatings were used to line the dog wash tubs, which were fabricated by the owner and her general contractor (shown below). These coatings were chosen not just for their strength, but also because of the texture that decorative quartz coatings can easily provide.
More “Outside the Box” Ideas
In the spring of 2014, we will be testing several more “outside the box” solutions, such as:
- Basement coatings that feature a “soft floor” feel – where the top most coatings actually provide a springy, cushioned feel.
- Coating systems which are bonded above a 7mm or greater sports mat, allowing for use in home and professional gyms and sports centers. We expect these floors to be great for high impact training rooms.
- Colored systems, similar to our metallic epoxies, that will provide the same variegated look, but without the metallic aspect.
Mike Mincemoyer is the President and Business Development Manager of STRONGHOLD FLOORS. Since their beginning as PremierGarage of Central PA and PremierGarage of Maryland, the team at STRONGHOLD FLOORS has applied several million square feet of coatings. While most are garage, basement, and commercial production floors, they are here to help you with your coatings needs. Even if you have some new, interesting scenario for their coatings, give our team a call.
